The Superpower of Looking is a visual literacy resource designed to inspire and support our future teachers to deliver the best in art teaching and learning.
It provides beginning and early-career teachers with an accessible, inclusive resource that they can use to deliver high-quality teaching and learning in art lessons, helping them to develop their expertise and deepen their understanding as they acquire subject and pedagogical knowledge.
The clear and detailed lesson resources and downloadable teacher notes provide subject-specific knowledge, key vocabulary and contextual artist background information. It is therefore a valuable resource for non-specialists and those with limited prior experience as well as more confident colleagues eager to expand their art teaching practice.
A range of bespoke questions for each piece of artwork, underpinned by key concepts in art, provide opportunities for learners to engage in dialogue, thus developing their oracy and visual literacy skills.
In this short video, ITT Teacher Champions share the benefits of using The Superpower of Looking with their trainee teachers as part of their Initial Teacher Training courses.
How The Superpower of Looking links to the ITTECF
The Superpower of Looking supports and links to initial teacher training and early career framework (ITTECF).
Incorporating the resource into your ambitious ITT curriculum will enable you to cover many of the 'Learn that' and 'Learn how to' statements in the Subject and Curriculum, Classroom Practice and Adaptive Teaching sections of the ITTECF.
We believe that The Superpower of Looking Kit can be of particular benefit for enhancing the acquisition of specific art vocabulary. Using precise vocabulary helps both trainee teachers and learners focus and interpret content effectively, aiding in the lesson's goals and enriching students' learning experiences. The vocabulary section in the kit is a central resource for The Superpower of Looking, helping to unlock the power of any image.
Using a 'questions' approach, The Superpower of Looking helps anyone explore a work of art and develop their visual literacy skills. Head to The Superpower of Looking homepage for an overview of the full resource, designed for KS2 / CfE Second Level.
Get involved
If you are a beginning or early-career teacher, a school-based mentor or an ITT provider, sign up for our learning newsletter and explore our primary art and design learning resources.
We're eager to collaborate with more ITT providers to offer a free one-hour CPD session for your trainee teachers. This session utilises The Superpower of Looking and aligns with your ambitious ITT curriculum in primary teacher education. For more details, please contact our learning team at learning@artuk.org